About this project

$13,220

pledged of $10,000 goal

262

backers

Scroll to the bottom for a pledge rewards chart or build your own package

Deep in the shadowy reaches of the Appalachian Mountains lurk secrets so terrible it was not meant that men should know them. Foul abominations lie in wait, locked away in the in-between spaces Euclid dared not contemplate, aching to return to a world which once belonged to them, and one day will be in their grasp again...

The CastIron Carousel seeks funding to stage an H.P. Lovecraft-themed marionette play, The Doom That Came to Fiddle Creak in Portland, Oregon in the fall of 2013. A fantastic miniature theater production performed entirely with tiny articulated wooden people in elaborate and beautiful sets.

The ninety minute performance will be in three acts with nine scenes and seven set pieces, each, furnished with a painted backdrop and props, six dramatic characters played by marionettes.

What is the play about?

The Doom That Came to Fiddle Creak is an original play set in the backwoods of North Carolina in the 1920s. Influenced by the Appalachian folkloric tradition of Jack tales and the weird horror writings of H.P. Lovecraft; the story revolves around a reclusive family of sorcerers who perform a strange ritual once every twenty years. Things go horribly wrong when a stranger comes to town with a piece of the towns dark past...

This is a video made by Etsy during the building process of Asenath where you can see her being constructed start to finish.

LESS THAN TWO DAYS LEFT!

Please help us make our next Stretch Goal: Touring around the Pacific North West

For the rest of the campaign we will be giving away special free gifts with our backer rewards for any pledge over $20

Today's gift: Signed print by Geahk Burchill, normally sold for $15 in his Etsy store.

Free with your pledge of $20 or more, get this 8.5" x 11" Limited Edition Print of "Isachi", from the Rising Stone Series, on 80# archival paper ready for framing

A video filmed & edited by Phil Haleen who we hope to hire on our DVD

Why marionettes?

In general, Americans are not familiar with performances by puppets, especially marionettes. Those of a certain generation may remember Howdy Doody, Captain Kangaroo or Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Others may have first seen marionettes more recently in movies such as Being John Malkovich or Team America: World Police. However, very few Americans have had the opportunity to witness a live performance with marionettes, an experience which is infinitely more sublime than seeing them on-screen.

Marionette theater is a performance medium unlike any other, and has more in common with animation than with traditional stage theater. Like animation, marionette actors can portray extreme examples of the human experience impossible to conjure any other way.

A powerful image taken by Jay Newman of NewmanImages

Marionettes are inherently creepy, naturally strange and beautifully surreal. The very concept has a profoundly disconcerting basis: marionettes are inanimate objects given the illusion of life. One never knows just where the human operator ends and the marionette begins. Every marionettist shares the experience of the marionette taking control and doing the unexpected. A lifeless wooden doll becomes a conduit to the subconscious, fusing the operator and the marionette into a single entity, born in a creative spark.

Puppeteer's point of view

Marionettes are fiendishly difficult to operate. Every moment on stage is an opportunity for a thousand accidents: strings tangle, limbs break, performers find their muse and go off-script. Some of these accidents are unintentionally hilarious and become excuses for a performer to riff comically. These moments can be marvels of spontaneity, creating singular audience experiences that no performer can ever hope to replicate, and leaving the attendees of that one show with an irreplaceable gift cradled in the memories of those who shared it. No other form of live theater is so subject to the whim of circumstance, assuring that no two performances will ever be the same.

From our previous show, 'The Curious Chronicles of Daniel Candlewick'

Despite their complexity, marionette shows are surprisingly inexpensive to produce. We work in one-quarter scale, and as a result, production and materials are far cheaper than a comparable full-scale theater show. The space we need to rehearse is smaller and the time it takes to build sets is shorter. We can do special effects with marionettes that would either be too expensive or flat-out impossible to achieve with live actors. For us, a ninety minute play costs ten thousand dollars to produce. For live theater to realize the same level of special effects, grand scenery and sweeping story would easily cost ten to twenty times as much.

The shows may be cheaper to produce but the amount of work is increased many-fold. These intricate wooden people take hundreds of hours to craft and thousands of hours to become skilled at operating.

George consoles Lennie in our performance "Of Mice and Men"

A set built for our original play "The Horrible House of Dr. Hadrian"

"In general, I find the Lovecraft community very supportive. For
people who are trying to bring about the ultimate destruction of
humanity, they are very nice"
-Adam Bolivar

The core members of the CastIron Carousel, Geahk
Burchill and Adam Bolivar, are both experienced puppeteers. Between
them, they have been involved in a dozen fully produced marionette plays
in Boston, Berkeley and Portland over the last twenty years.

Tour to Seattle! Yes, we can leave the cozy environs of Portland and perform in our favorite nearby city to the north. This $2,000 will help pay for travel expenses and advertising. All of our backers will receive an extra cast photo thanking you for your help to get us there. Anyone who donated more than $40 and lives in Seattle will get two tickets and two programs to the show. Over $75 will receive a Seattle tour poster, signed by the artist.

Unlocked at $13,000

We made it! Premium DVD! We're able to hire help to make a really great DVD instead of just what we can do with our low-end cameras and basic free editing software. This allows us to make a very professional and nicely packaged finished product that you will be proud to put on your movie shelf. Contrary to what our backer reward says, it WILL be the full show.Now that we made it to 13K, it will get a lot of polish too!

Unlocked at $14,000

More content in the Coffee Table Art Book. We were already attempting to pack everything we could into this book. Large portions of the script, production photos for the building of the play, a complete set of instructions on marionette building, troupe history, philosophy and cast bios. That was already going to make this book great but now we can add stage building instructions to the book, lighting control diagrams and everything else you would need to start your own marionette theater! Thanks for helping make this book even better!

Unlocks at $15,000

If we make this goal, we can do a much larger tour. It would be absolutely amazing to be able to go to California, the Southwest, and the South. A tour like this would include the major cities of the Pacific Northwest, plus the SF Bay Area, the LA area, stops in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. With any luck we'd be able to do gigs in Colorado too! We would put a major effort into getting to South-by-Southwest and other big festivals. For anyone donating more than $40 and living in or near one of the
cities on the tour, you will also get two tickets and two programs! Over
$75 and you get the DVD and over $100 you get a poster for your local show, signed by the artist.

Our budget

This is an all volunteer troupe, the members will not personally gain financially. We are doing a LOT with a very small budget. In the grand scheme of things we're not asking for very much and providing an amazing value.

When making your decision to help fund this project, we hope you will consider, we are doing this for the love and intend to spend every dollar with incredible care. What you get back when you fund arts like this is so much more than you paid for.

Rewards

Here are some of our planned rewards for backers

T-shirts in Black and Navy Pledge $40

A beautiful production art book for those pledging $70 to the project

High quality replica heads from the production fully painted. Pledge $150

We now know that our DVDs will be able to include the full show, filmed from multiple angles with lots of behind the scenes special features.

Theater is a difficult thing to film because video naturally loses some of the immediacy of live theater. We are going to be working with a very talented film maker to respect the show and create a filmed piece that works to honor the live theater experience.

A short piece we did a couple years ago featuring Aloysius, a cybernetically augmented hare.

Risks and challenges

In our experience, every five minutes of performance costs roughly $550 to create. And that's if everyone volunteers. That, nearly, six hundred dollars includes buying materials for sets, backdrops and puppets. It includes printing posters and programs as well as renting the theater and advertising the show. It includes the care and feeding of volunteers during dozens of hours, per scene, of rehearsal and preparation or the artists, building and painting, the sets. The rent on the studio to build and rehearse in. The vehicle to carry the sets and stage to the venue and the required insurance for both the studio and the theater.

Our greatest risk is loss of momentum which has been hard to maintain the past few years due to limited finances and a rough economy. What we're looking for with Kickstarter is a little wind at our backs. Because the lack of a surprisingly small amount of money is really all that stands in our way, we hope you, our fans, associates, lovers of puppets and those just now introduced to the art form, will help give us the supportive push we need to complete an amazing play which has lingered on the drawing board for far too long.

What might happen to marionette puppetry without support? It could die out. There have been other times, when it has nearly died out, save a handful of practitioners. This is because it is a very difficult and rigorous form of live theater. It requires a lot of work to put on a show, years of training and there are not often great rewards. It is an amazing way to tell a story but only a small group of lucky people ever get to see a live show and so it is easily lost against the background of big budget spectacles on one hand, or free entertainment on the other.

Marionette puppetry is challenging to the actor and can be destructive to the body but it is also one of the most incredible ways to engage the imagination of an audience there is. No other form of theater asks you to become a child again like puppetry, and give your suspension of disbelief some exercise.

If you have seen a marionette show in the past, support because you want to see more. If this might be your first show, support because you have no idea what you are missing. We promise, it will be worth it.

Support this project

Select this reward

Pledge $3 or more
About $3

•Desktop wallpaper• 1 High resolution digital image (1920X1080) of one of the puppets from the finished show, emailed to you along with a 'thank you' for your donation. Photo will be one taken by acclaimed photographer, David Emmite.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5 or more
About $5

•Scenic Extra• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Scenic Extra" level.

While scenic extras are not, individually, seen as important in a production they are extremely important collectively. Where would Ben Hur be without extras? How about Lord of the Rings?

It is the collective contributions of dozens or hundreds of scenic extras that make the final production an exciting spectacle. We thank you so much for your personal contribution to this play. You will get 5 High resolution digital images (1920X1080) of one of the puppets from the finished show, emailed to you along with a 'thank you' for your donation. Photo will be one taken by acclaimed photographer, David Emmite.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

•Bit Part• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Bit Part" level.
It is said, "There are no small parts, only small actors". There is a reason this phrase has stood the test of time. So-called bit parts are an incredibly important part of an overall production--so much so, that it would collapse without them. These are the team players of the stage. The relay racers. While they often get little individual adulation, they lift the other actors up and indeed the whole production to create propulsion to a storyline. These small roles are the stitches holding the patchwork together. You will get 5 High resolution digital images (1920X1080) of the puppets from the finished show, emailed to you along with a 'thank you' for your donation. You will also get a high resolution digital version of the poster.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10 or more
About $10

A downloadable version of the DVD! We will provide a digital version of the basic DVD package including special features and clips of previous performances in this great package. If we make our stretch goal for a full production DVD, we will include all of that footage as well!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $12 or more
About $12

*Limited Edition Program* A limited edition program from the show only for Kickstarter backers. Includes a sticker and will be signed by either the artistic director or the playwright. Program will include illustrations, character descriptions, town back-story, cast information and troupe philosophy. Also 5 high resolution (1920X1080) digital desktop wallpaper images of each of the puppets from the finished show, emailed to you along with a 'thank you' for your donation.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $15 or more
About $15

5 CastIron Carousel Marionette Troupe postcards and a signed program mailed to you plus 5 high resolution (1920X1080) digital desktop wallpaper images of each of the puppets from the finished show, emailed to you along with a 'thank you' for your donation. These will be produced for Kickstarter backers exclusively.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

DVD with behind the scenes footage and selected scenes from this and past shows. See what it's like in the studio and on set. Including cast interviews, design stills and production video. If we make our stretch goal of $13,000, the DVD will contain even more footage and behind the scenes content.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

•Character Actor• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Character Actor" level. You also get the Production DVD. Character actors seldom get billing but are an incredibly important part of giving a production texture and life. These small parts are often referred to as "That guy!" or "Him from whatsit." Audiences often fall in love with these character actors, looking for their favorite ones in show after show. While there isn't a lot of glory in the character actor's job, they always make a production better by bringing life, comedy or grit to a world created on stage.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Signed, limited edition full color print of the poster from the show on high quality card stock. signed by, either the poster artist or the artistic director of the troupe. Limited to Kickstarter backers ONLY. Not available at shows. Frame ready and beautiful. This will be one to hang on the wall.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

A digital copy of the Production Art Book for your e-reader! This PDF copy of the book will have much of the same content as the hard back printing. Including hundreds of production photos-marionette building, set building, graphic design, interviews with the troupe members, philosophy, examples of the script and thousands of wonderful details delving into what goes into building a marionette show.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

Two tickets to any performance! (This is for Portland locals only unless me make our stretch goals) Along with the performance you will get two programs signed by the artistic director or playwright. Program will include illustrations, character descriptions, town back-story, cast information and troupe philosophy. Receive tickets and program through Will Call the night of the show at the box office.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

Signed, limited edition full color poster from the show. Signed by, either the poster artist or the artistic director of the troupe. Also a signed program and 5 high resolution (1920X1080) digital desktop wallpaper images of each of the puppets from the finished show, emailed to you along with a 'thank you' for your donation. Photos will be one taken by acclaimed photographer, David Emmite.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

Boxed Set DVD- This is the full-behind the scenes boxed set for the DVD package. You get the production DVD (With lots of extra footage if we make our stretch goals) which comes with a digital version of the poster, 5 digital desktop wallpaper images, 5 Lovecraftian marionette postcards and a signed program which contains a sticker, character bios, troupe philosophy, town back-story and several illustrations. This is the next best thing to the Production Art Book. This version is limited and only available to Kickstarter backers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $40 or more
About $40

Hadrian T-shirt! Yeah, we know you've seen T-shirts before. Probably have a half dozen in your closet right now you never wear, but you haven't seen OUR T-shirt. This is gonna be one you're definitely gonna want. Black with Dr. Hadrian marionette and sepia logo on back. Please indicate your size when pledging.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

A signed poster and a DVD! We're been asked for this package and we can't believe we didn't think of it! It's like Peanut butter & Jelly, an obvious combination which had to happen. Both these rewards will be limited edition only available to our Kickstarter backers.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $70 or more
About $70

A beautiful, High quality art book following the production of the play including hundreds of photos, notes, design drawings, cast photos and bios and a marked up copy of the script. This ultimate behind-the-scenes version available to Kickstarter backers ONLY. Book comes packed with the Production DVD. Later printings of the book available at shows will not contain script or DVD.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $80 or more
About $80

Shwag but no show pack- This is for all those folks who want to support the production but can't make it to an actual performance. Maybe you're international or are an aquatic king who is just too busy to go to the surface world, you can still support the show! You get, 1 signed poster, 1 DVD, 1 T-shirt of your choice, 1 signed program, 5 postcards, and 5 digital wallpaper images by photographer David Emmite. The package deal is $15 less than if you got everything individually! All items are limited to the Kickstarter campaign and will not be available in this form at shows.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Four tickets to any performance! (This is for Portland locals only unless we make our stretch goals) Four signed programs, 1 signed, full color poster and two sets of 5 postcards. An awesome Double-date package!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

•Supporting Actor• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Supporting Actor" level. You also get a DVD and T-shirt of your choice. The supporting actors get a lot of well-deserved credit for their role in a production. Without them a story has little, or no, balance. No single character or hero can carry the weight of the audience expectations, hopes or, even, interest. It's up to the supporting cast to create tension, drama and mobility for the hero's journey. They provide resting spots, counterpoints and goals for a story. As such, they are absolutely indispensable. Also, if we make our stretch goals, you will get everything listed there.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Puppet head! This is a cast replica head from one of the main characters from the show, fully painted and mounted on a display stand. You choose wall mounted or shelf-top. This puppet head will have all the intricate detail of the characters in the actual show plus the wonderful creepiness of being detached from a body. Limited in number, these heads will ONLY be available to people who have donated to this Kickstarter project.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

Shwag Pack Plus! It's all the same stuff you get in our Shwag pack but this comes with the art book! You get, 1 signed poster, 1 DVD, 1 T-shirt of your choice, 1 signed program, 5 postcards, and 5 digital wallpaper images by photographer David Emmite. AND The Production Art Book! A beautiful large format coffee table book with insights into the production of the show, hundreds of photos and set set designs. The package deal is less than if you got everything individually! All items are limited to the Kickstarter campaign and will not be available in this form at shows.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

An original script used by the actors during rehearsal, filled with notes, changes and scrawlings in the margins. Scripts are like archeological digs which show what a play goes through to become ready for performance. Usually there is only one or two intact scripts like this one by the end of a performance run. You will be the only person to own it for this play. Along with the script you will get a signed program and poster plus two tickets to any performance.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

We'll write you into the show! That's right YOU will be one of the protagonist's colleagues at the university mentioned in the play by name. You will also show up in the program in the characters section! Plus you'll get any extras mentioned in our stretch goals.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

•Hero• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Hero" level. You'll also get the Production DVD, the book and a T-shirt of your choice along with any of the rewards mentioned in the stretch goals. The hero is the avatar for the audience, through whom they experience the story. The hero creates continuity and eyes to witness the world created by the playwright. The hero is the story and, as such can make or break a production. You'll get a signed poster mailed to you and, if we make our stretch goals, you will get everything listed there.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

We'll paint you into the backdrop! Yes, that's right, You're portrait will hang in a haunted mansion in one of two scenes. Our master painters will add your likeness, dressed in old-timey clothes hanging above a mantle or overlooking the dining room table. One of the characters will even comment on your portrait, adding a funny line of dialogue. Not only that, if we make our stretch goals, you will get everything listed there.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

•Villain• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Villain" level. You'll also get the DVD, the production book, two T-shirts of your choice, a poster pack with programs and anything mentioned in the stretch goals. There really is only one thing better than playing the hero and that is playing the villain. The hero may carry the audience's hopes but you carry the fears and secret desires. There's a little villain in all of us. Apart from being listed in the program, you will get a signed copy of the program and any rewards listed in the stretch goals if we make them.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

•Puppeteer• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Puppeteer" level. This gets you four programs, four tickets to any show, four T-shirts, four Art books, Four DVDs and any rewards mentioned in the Stretch Goals.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,500 or more
About $1,500

Geahk Burchill will build you a custom marionette! Options include: Steampunk Robot marionette, Iron Horse marionette or a Creepy Gothic Stork marionette. These are each personally hand-crafted and one-of-a-kind. Even if they end up beaing all stork puppets, for instance, they will all be extremely unique and individual. This reward is limited to Kickstarter backers ONLY as each puppet will be a custom work of art made for the backer with the backer specifically in mind.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

•Producer• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Producer" level. This gets you everything mentioned at the "Puppeteer" level plus an ad in our programs and dinner with cast members, writer and director.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

Exclusive!!! Get a marionette •Portrait• or yourself handcrafted by Master Puppet builder, Geahk Burchill. Only one of these will be offered during this campaign. A detailed marionette built exclusively for you using your input and photos. Made performance quality with all the detail of any marionette built by this craftsman. ONLY available during the Kickstarter campaign

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $3,000 or more
About $3,000

Geahk Burchill will fly to wherever you are in the US and personally give you a marionette building class! Class will include all materials and tools and multiple days of personal instruction. Beginning with character conception and continuing all the way through carving, construction, stringing and manipulation. The marionette is yours to keep after the class.

Your pledge will pay for round-trip airfare, room and board as well as all tools and materials.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

•Director• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Director" level. You get everything mentioned at the "Producer level" along with larger ads in the programs as well as on the posters. Mentions during the introduction before and after each show and a private performance at your event.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

•Studio• Your name listed in the program as a donor to the project, "Studio" level. Everything mentioned in the "Director Level" plus personal marionette instruction by Geahk Burchill and unlimited tickets and programs for any performance. That is all the programs and tickets you need to any show, ten T-shirts, ten Art books, all the DVDs you need and any rewards mentioned in the Stretch Goals plus the large ad in the program and on the poster, mentions before and after every performance and dinner with the cast whenever is convenient.